BENIN CITY- Gay relationship in Nigeria is generally an abominable act and strictly forbidden by the two major religious bodies, Christianity and Muslim Doctrines. Even in Paganism, it’s also strictly prohibited and seen as taboo.
Anybody found in the abominable act attracts a fourteen year jail term without option of fine. This is an issue already gazette and passed into law, after the two upper legislativehouses, senate and representative have done justice to it. In spite of the various tiers of governments campaign awareness and drastic action on the lawless act, some people, mostly the youths especially, still engage in it, irrespective of the dial consequences.
The latest report this time is from Amagba village, a community in the suburb of the Benin City centre, where a young lady, Imafidon Esohe Gift has escaped from the family house in Amagba to an unknown destination.
According to our correspondent, a very close family source who narrated the story under strict confidentiality for fear of victimization said the issue actually started early may this year. Unknowingly to Esohe’s parents that their daughter has been into a gay relationship with one of their senior students way back in their secondary school days in Adesuwa Girls Grammar School, Benin City when she was just a teenager in the school hostel.
The source added that Imafidon Esohe Gift after her leaving the college, she started dating one newly found gay lover called Osasogie Uyigue in the same village and was also learning the act of stylist/make-up artist.
One fateful day, the burble busted as the gay lovers were caught in the act, half naked by Esohe’s mother in their affectionate mood inside her room in their house. The parents after giving the merciless beating of her life, then felt that the only way to curb her nefarious activity of gay is to force her into an adopted marriage to an old man, who came asking for her hand in marriage. A move which she vehemently refused.
She then ran away with the marks and bruises in her body to her gay lover’s house to hide there. But after about three days, she was soon fished out, given another severe beating to gain the support to forcefully put her into the marriage with the old man, whether she likes it or not.
On the eve night to the day arranged for the marriage and traditional bride price payment, Esohe again escaped from the house still resisting to go into the forceful marriage. The family started looking for her, but when they could not find her anywhere, they then reported the matter to the village youths, who also took the matter to the elder’s council.
The elder’s council after their meeting declared her wanted and ordered the militant youths to get her dead or alive to take the death penalty of using her as sacrificial lamb for defying the laws of the land for being a gay which is forbidden in the Amagba land.
Since then, Imafidon Esohe Gift has never been sighted anywhere or heard of from anybody. But an unconfirmed source close to the family said she was sighted in a long distance in the Specialist Hospital in Benin City from a moving commercial vehicle.
While a family friend bus driver in Bob Izua Motors, who plies Benin/Lagos, also confirmed that he saw her in Ojuelegba, Lagos on the 1st of July.
